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As a university with an emphasis on the liberal arts, Western Washington University creates an interdisciplinary environment in which students, faculty, and staff can develop a diverse set of skills. Within this context, this project analyzes the relationship between well-rounded individuals and interdisciplinary experiences, as well as the measurable personal or professional benefits that come from this relationship. For the purposes of this analysis, a well-rounded individual is described as someone who can encounter many challenges not specifically related to their field of specialization and solve them efficiently using a diverse set of skills. Interdisciplinary experience is defined as the interaction of two or more formal academic disciplines, informal areas of interest, or personal experiences that differ in the way they interpret the world. An anonymous survey distributed to Western’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni was conducted in order to gather data necessary to support or refute our hypothesis. The survey focused on which factors influence a person’s decision of major or field of study and eventually their profession, as well as which specific skills they acquired through formal versus informal educational environments, for example, cultural background, participation in clubs or groups, or other kinds of interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.

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A survey analysis of the relationship between interdisciplinary experiences and well-rounded individuals

Modern and Classical Languages

As a university with an emphasis on the liberal arts, Western Washington University creates an interdisciplinary environment in which students, faculty, and staff can develop a diverse set of skills. Within this context, this project analyzes the relationship between well-rounded individuals and interdisciplinary experiences, as well as the measurable personal or professional benefits that come from this relationship. For the purposes of this analysis, a well-rounded individual is described as someone who can encounter many challenges not specifically related to their field of specialization and solve them efficiently using a diverse set of skills. Interdisciplinary experience is defined as the interaction of two or more formal academic disciplines, informal areas of interest, or personal experiences that differ in the way they interpret the world. An anonymous survey distributed to Western’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni was conducted in order to gather data necessary to support or refute our hypothesis. The survey focused on which factors influence a person’s decision of major or field of study and eventually their profession, as well as which specific skills they acquired through formal versus informal educational environments, for example, cultural background, participation in clubs or groups, or other kinds of interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.

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